The buzz of buying tickets for the summer concert season has begun.
With 1980s acts such as Madonna and Duran Duran returning to the scene, Beyoncé winning a Grammy and Guns ‘n Roses trying to wrap up their three-year tour, music fans are trying to be a part of the scene.
The problem is that ticket prices have never been higher. When ConsumerAffairs looked at StubHub, Ticketmaster and other ticket platforms, people were asking $134 for nosebleed tickets to see Beyoncé, while anyone looking to sit down in front to see Springsteen is looking at a price tag of more than $450 for a seat. .
And now – in March. As the summer days approach, so do those prices.
Non-money machine artists who thought their tours would drive down prices, and hot artists can find third-party sellers skyrocketing ticket prices.
There is also the issue of trust. After Ticketmaster was subpoenaed by Congress for hacking Taylor Swift’s tour ticket purchases, music fans in particular have every right to be skeptical and concerned about the new wave of “dynamic pricing.”
Until this mess is fixed, consumers should take care of themselves
So far, ticket prices aren’t going down, and those exorbitant fees aren’t going away. But when a concert’s main promoter or venue sells out and the only way to buy it is on the secondary market, ticket buyers have to protect themselves.
ConsumerAffairs reached out to several ticketing companies to find their best deals for a positive experience, and here’s what we found.
Don’t pay cash and never, ever buy tickets on social media! According to Julia Young of VividSeats, the business leaves the ticket buyer with no protection. “Most importantly, check for third-party verification and make sure the site is a member of the National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB),” he said.
If the site asks you to enter your credit card details to see the ticket price, get out of there! “If a site doesn’t want to show you the full price from the start, including service and other charges, or at least have a switch that lets you see the ticket price with the charges calculated, that’s a sign. they don’t want you to compare the store with competing markets,” advises TicketNetwork’s Sean Burns. “This strategy means you intend to buy from them when you see the final price, even if they are higher than the same tickets elsewhere.”
There is no “ideal” time to buy. Brett Goldberg, co-founder and CEO of 11-year-old TickPick, told ConsumerAffairs that like everyone else in the world of event tickets, there’s an algorithm and several factors that go into the “best time” to buy. . For example, number of tickets available, match, day of the week, etc. everything affects the price.
“If you like the price level, we encourage you to buy tickets. If you wait until the last minute, if the event is fast approaching, it is recommended to be in a place with good internet connection to get tickets faster,” he said.
Goldberg also recommends checking both the ticket seller’s website and their app, as sometimes the service fee percentage can vary from one market to another depending on which market you’re in.
Read the reviews. Not all ticket buyers have the same experience with ticket sellers. On ConsumerAffairs, some sellers get 5 star reviews, some get 1 star. If you are considering using a particular company, it would be wise to see what other customers think of them. If you have a persistent problem with customer service, you may be better off elsewhere.